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Still More Door Updates

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I’m still working on the door hardware, with 6 internal doors and 2 that lead outdoors, I have a lot of work to do.

After replacing the door knobs the next step was to work on the hinges. I had two spare sets from taking down the office door so I set up a system to replacing them (I’m a big systems gal, see here for the background on that).

But first I want to issue my first retraction! It’s sad that this is exciting, right? Right.

Whatever, I want to formally say DO NOT follow my advice to tape off your door knobs when painting doors:

Just don’t do it kids. Honestly. Why? you ask? Well it’s way too much work to keep your paint even and undrippy.

See:

I only did it because I was irrationally afraid of being unable to reinstall the door knob and either being stuck in the bathroom or having Dad come to fix ’em.

Dad’s a civil engineer by the way so the mocking would be unending, not to mention another mechanical engineer I know who would never let me live that down.

As someone who has now removed 5 door knobs and seen the aftermath of that bad decision I implore you: don’t do it.

Because it’s so easy to remove them, even if you’re not spray paint happy like me. Ready? I’ll show you how:

1. Locate the door knob and screws

2. Using a Phillips head screwdriver take out the screws, they’re pretty long

3. Use some sort of container to store all the pieces together (I like old butter containers and melted tupperware pieces for this).

4. Gently pry out the inner knob, if you’ve already slapped some paint on it may peel. Oops.

5. Remove the outer knob

6. Now all you’re left with is the latch and it can be in pretty tight. To get this one out I had to use the screw driver laced through the opening as a level to pull the latch towards me.

7. On the door frame you’ll want to remove the strike plate which is usually held in with two wood screws.

And if the terminology is making your head hurt here is the most simple diagram I could find:

Then when you have a nekkid door you can paint the whole thing. Don’t even try painting 95% of it and then removing the handles. Nope. Because when you use a paint roller you can evenly coat the entire door surface. Once you get 2 coats on the areas you did not cover will always be a little wonky.

That’s the technical term: wonky.

It probably took me 50% more time to make sure the paint around the door knobs were even, not drippy and lacking of wonkiness before I could reinstall the new painted pieces than if I had done it properly the first time.

Now, I know what you’re thinking,

“removing them is easy but what about reinstalling without getting trapped in the bathroom?!”

Well, bring your cell phone and a magazine…. no, you’re not going to get trapped inside. Unless you’re really bad at following directions.

So here are the reinstall directions:

1. While they’re off the door go ahead and clean up the door knobs. Clean off the dirt at least. Maybe polish them up. Go ORB crazy and give them a new finish.

2. Bring everything with you, all of the screws you used and the Phillips head screwdriver. This is where having those individual containers comes in super handy.

3. Start by placing the latch into the door and set it so that the curved part will hit the striker on the door and push in.

4. Then add the outside knob (the one with the long pieces that thread through the latch). If your knob is like mind and has a handle (not just round) then you’ll want to arrange it so the handle doesn’t get in the way of the door closing. Just a suggestion.

5. Keep the door open and line up the inside knob (again keeping the handle lined up so the door will actually close) and insert the screws. The screws need to go through the outer handle, through the latch and line up with the inner handle. Make sure they’re lined up and then screw in.

6. Now you’re pretty much done. Screw in the strike plate on the door and then test the door knob a few times. When you turn it does the latch open and close? When you lock it does the knob lock and stop turning? If it all seems copacetic then test it out.